A new leader takes the helm of the Council on Public Higher Education

The Council on Public Higher Education in Missouri soon will have a new leader. Long-time policy and fiscal analyst Paul Wagner will take over as executive director on February 27.

He’ll represent Missouri’s 13 public, four-year universities.

Wagner says there is a need for more state investment in universities, so his primary focus will be to raise more funding for the institution.

"Missouri ranks somewhere in the mid- forties among states, in term of lowest investment in higher education institutions. So it’s certainly an important issue for schools," Wagner says. "It's something I look forward to working (on) in cooperation with the General Assembly in Jefferson City."

Wagner says Missouri’s higher education institutions need to speak with one voice, adding that a big part of his job will be to help them find consensus to forge a productive agenda going forward.